Luigi Einaudi Columnist and Opinion Maker in the Liberal Age (1896-1925)

This paper analyses Luigi Einaudi’s role as opinion maker between 1896 and 1925, when he was the leading columnist on economic issues in 'La Stampa' and the 'Corriere della Sera', focussing in particular on the scope and limits of his efforts to broaden consensus among the Italian public opinion on the principles of free market and competition, then shared only by a minority of population. To this end, it investigates Einaudi’s journalistic style, his following among the public and his views concerning the role of the economist in the society.